Electronic Writing Tips

April 12th, 2011 in Copywriting by April Michelle Davis 0

Writers may think that formatting their manuscripts with multiple fonts and text sizes makes it look more appealing, but it actually creates more work for the editors. When preparing a manuscript for submission, it should be as plain as possible. Copyeditors are focused on the words themselves and don’t need to be distracted by excess formatting. Designers will want manuscripts in the basic form, too, so they can build what they envision the book looking like. Also keep in mind that certain publishers may have specific submission guidelines that you will need to check before sending off your manuscript. Some good overall pointers, though, are as follows:

  • Use a standard font. (Editorial Inspirations prefers Times New Roman.)
  • Keep everything, no matter what genre you are writing for, in a normal size font. Going larger does not emphasize your words but rather looks garish and distracting to an editor. Going smaller is no help to anyone who will be looking at your document. (Editorial Inspirations prefers 12 point font.)
  • Single space between sentences. Double spacing is for typewriters, not computers.
  • Double space the lines of the text.
  • Keep the format “Normal.” Don’t adjust margins from 1”, use themes, insert borders, or anything else. Keep it simple and plain.
  • Indent with the tab key, not by hitting the space bar numerous times.
  • Do not underline, italicize, or bold unless delineating subheadings. Don’t use these to emphasize something in your writing; your words will be strong on their own. In general, the underline feature should not be used. Underlining was for typewriters, not computers.
  • Make sure you clear the document of any hidden elements before you submit it. This means turning off track changes, hidden text, or updateable fields.
  • If your manuscript needs to be organized into several files, be sure to label them clearly for submission. (Editorial Inspirations prefers that each chapter be in its own file, along with a separate file for the front matter and one for the back matter.)